Computers! What am I doing?

Discussion in 'General Discussion / Real life stuff' started by Smg, Dec 23, 2020.

  1. Smg

    Smg Retired | Also known as 'Phaithful' Donator

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    Okay, so this is kind of random and I don't really have any other place to post this about, despite this being on my mind for a long time, so here goesss noTHING-

    For the longest while, I've been interested in owning my own personal computer. I've had my fair share of laptops over the years, like the one I currently own right now, but have never truly had my own desktop I owned for my own personal use.

    Don't get me wrong, this laptop I have... there's nothing wrong with it. It's great! It's gotten a bit laggier as time's gone by, but I think that's normal for all electronics as they age. But for what I use this thing for, it satisfies me. I've stepped back from gaming these past few months, mostly due to busyness with college and work, which has fueled my disinterest. Really, this whole pandemic, the main things I've been doing for my own entertainment have been watching/taking in different forms of media. Whether that's television, Youtube, Twitch, streaming services, or reading fanfiction (I'm not ashamed to admit this haha), I've been doing some form of all of the above.

    But games, on the computer specifically, still hold a special place in my heart. And while my laptop is perfectly capable of sustaining my current workload of little to no games, there is a part of me that hopes to one day get back into the spectrum a little bit. But my only problem is that my laptop's slowed down in that department. I really only have interest in playing one game at the moment, that being Minecraft, but there are numerous other games I have pre-installed on this device such as the Sims, Tf2, Stardew Valley, Portal, and a few others, that I know I'll one day revisit (based off my history and recollections).

    Bleh. I've gotten off topic. Basically, back to my main point, in the (hopefully) near future, perhaps by sometime in 2021, I want to try to purchase/build my own personal computer. My only problem, though, is I don't really know where to begin. I've done small research and I'm slowly starting to come to the conclusion that it might be in my (bank account's) best interest to buy all the necessary parts to a PC instead of buying a pre-built one.

    I know the basics about what the necessary parts are, like the motherboard, the graphics card, GPU, the fan, the case, the power supply, etc. But I know almost nothing about what specific categories of these parts I should be looking at, and apparently not all these things go together. From what little I've read, it sounds as if there's a certain delicate aspect to which parts go together, that some things can be easily incompatible and fuck up the entire system, etc.

    I'm not rich; boy, you know I wish I was. But I have a good bit of money saved up and think that realistically, if I purchase something roughly in the $1000-$1250 range, I wont be financially fucked for the next few months or even for the rest of my life. Sure, my bank account would probably appreciate it if I went a little cheaper, but I want the first PC I own to be something that I can own for many years to come. I don't want something that's going to break down in two years, leaving me stuck. Which is why I'm willing to pay a little extra if it means ensuring a better stability.

    So, my question, if anyone's even been willing to read through my short essay/rant here, is if anyone has any advice on what I should buy, if I should build (consider my position of being a total amateur noob in this department) or buy a premade, where I should go, specific parts maybe. I insinuated this heavily, but I'm leaning towards building my own (or trying to) if it means saving money. Again, I'm not a heavy gamer, and probably never will be again, but I ultimately want something that can provide clean and lag-less gameplay for a game like Minecraft, along with a fast functioning base, of course, for school work and things in that category. And I'm willing to spend roughly in that $1000-1250 range, perhaps a little over to ensure I get the best product I can realistically afford.

    If you've made it this far, thank you! :)
     
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  2. ItsHarry

    ItsHarry Owner Staff Member Owner

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    sims, tf2, minecraft, portal, stardew valley.. you don't need a gaming PC son

    just buy a better laptop
     
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  3. Soap

    Soap Donator

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    fam. for the games you want to play - even $600 is more than enough.
    desktops do last you longer - better cooling, you can clean it easier, etc...

    not against the idea. but be smart about it.
     
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  4. Katerina

    Katerina Former Mοd Donator

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    i got a laptop huaweii d14 to do uni work and I run all those games, has been running perfectly. It's also is one of the few laptops with an IPS panel

    if you want a pc....please dont buy a prebuilt one, i dont really have a desktop to recommend but i do recommend watching linus tech tips for some pc building tips
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020
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  5. Smg

    Smg Retired | Also known as 'Phaithful' Donator

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    First, I want to thank you for the input

    Secondly, to address some things: I'm no expert whatsoever in what I'm doing. When I type in 'PC' or 'Gaming PC' into Bestbuy and/or Amazon, with prebuilt ones coming up, most of them, if not all, are in that $700-$800 dollar range at the minimum. Oc, exceptions are a thing, but they're limited. So from this I've come to assume that I'm probably looking at spending that type of money.

    Also, I know someone in my position may not exactly need what's defined as a 'Gaming PC' considering my current workload, but with big and important purchases like these, I want to make sure the product I'm buying is something that can go above and beyond, and can potentially sustain a higher workload should I ever decide to go that route. I don't want to cut corners and save a few bucks to buy something I'm probably going to need to upgrade or get fixed in two or three years. I want something that can sustain me for the long haul.

    I bought my OnePlus 7 Pro a year and a half ago for roughly $840 dollars, tallying in insurance, a screen protector, a case, and the actual phone itself. That's a lot of money, but I was willing to pay more for this premium phone instead of something that was perhaps a $100 bucks cheaper, but would ultimately satisfy my needs regardless, because I knew then that the 7 Pro was more likely to sustain me longer and remain fast in every aspect. Plus, the 7 Pro is a beautiful phone all around. So far, my bet has paid off great. The next time I buy a cellphone is going to be when this one either breaks or can't turn on any more.

    Something like this also relies on how much money I can exactly spend, and I noted in my original post that realistically, if I need or want to, I can afford a higher priced computer in the early $1000 range. If I deem that's my best course of action.

    I also could, very well, buy a new high-end laptop. But the one I have right now: there's nothing really wrong with it. I told my Mom the same thing when she asked about this; unless my laptop suddenly dies, buying a PC would be out of want rather than out of need. The only minus I can say about this thing is that it's slow at times with starting up and games I've played in the recent months are slower than usual. On a good day, it runs the games I currently have installed well, but all around, I've never really been able to fully experience or dive into the world of extended online gaming because I've been restricted so long by the piece of tech I'm using. The games I listed are the ones I currently have installed, also, primarily because this laptop can only run low management games like those at an acceptable rate.

    (Also, I don't want to spend all that money on a laptop (let's say around $800-$1200 dollars) when I have one currently perfectly capable for school/all around work. I could buy a high end PC, something that can run my current games and potentially others I have a desire to install with the knowledge that the device can handle it, for the same kind of money.)
     
  6. ItsHarry

    ItsHarry Owner Staff Member Owner

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    unless you're trying to play triple A games on max graphical settings, a $1200 laptop will handle just fine

    the most popular online games right now can all be played with high FPS on a laptop:
    league of legends, world of warcraft, minecraft, among us, hearthstone, overwatch, rocket league, etc
     
  7. ItsJerry

    ItsJerry DEAD SERVER!!! LMAO!!! Staff Member Owner

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    i've been using computers since childhood and switched to a laptop last year. there is no reason to have a computer anymore (unless you have to play triple A at max settings), laptops are fast enough for the average user, even "professionals" who need to record/edit. plus they come with lots of benefits, portability being a major one and ability to use on battery

    people be out there with $2,500 battlestations to watch facebook videos
     
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  8. Ezzerland

    Ezzerland Staff Member Manager

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    This.
    For my music studio I bought a new laptop instead of a PC and I have built custom pc's for years. Acer Nitro is a solid example of a laptop branded for gaming that has many uses. Don't let a gaming tag fool you, it's just a laptop like any other and its uses are vast.

    I would focus less on whether or not you go pc vs laptop and focus more on what you put into it. A cheap SSD and a decent cpu+gpu and you're gold for the next decade.
     
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  9. Saul1337

    Saul1337

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    Having both now, I am still on the pc side instead of the laptop side.
    But that is because I play the games that benefit from having more power than a affordable laptop can produce.

    I built my pc many years ago and have only upgraded the power supply (which was total overkill) and the CPU, and it still runs every new game just fine. The games you said, as stated by others really don't require a brand new computer to run.
    I think you'll be fine and happier by spending more on a laptop instead of building your own setup.
    With your budget there's a lot you can do, but you also need to think of the things you're going to be buying around the pc.
    Monitor, a second one? A good keyboard and mouse? A redbull mini fridge? Do you want to take it with you to class? Those are all costs that can easily add up to another big bill.

    That all said, I do think that if you really want it you should go for it. Research on it is very easy, and it's actually even easier to put it all together.
    I was stressed out by it but it ended up being a simple task, and even when it didn't boot I was able to ask others for help and in the end it works out.
    There are plenty of websites that offer ''build guides'' that show you categories of pc ranging from basic desktop to mega nuclear gamer pc, and the building process is documented so many times on Youtube that you cannot go wrong.
    I got all my knowledge on how to build and trouble shoot from LinusTechTips, not specifically this video but I am sure this one will give you the right idea too on how to build one.
     
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